This dissertation furthers the research on racial mismatch by examining principals' perception of influence and teachers' perspectives of principal competence and support with a critical perspective. This study uses regression and fixed-effects models. In addition, a new critical interpretive framework was developed to analyze these findings. I present three key findings. These are: (1) Black and IPOC teachers are associated with having higher perceptions principals' effectiveness and competency and Black principals are associated with a more positive perception of White principals' supportiveness, enforcement of the rules, and communication of expectations than White teachers; (2) that racial matching does not demonstrate higher perceptions of White principals' competence; and (3) the contextual variables used as controls are associated principal perceptions of influence in meaningful ways. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]